Rushed Beats
by redpixel
Summary: Minato risks his life attempting to get closer to Fuuka. Maybe he will see the conclusion, provided Fuuka's cooking doesn't kill him first.
1. Chapter 1

**RUSHED BEATS**

**

* * *

**

**CHAPTER ONE**

_Why am I so nervous?_

Minato slowly shuffled towards the edge of his seat. He tapped his foot against the floor as he continued his staring competition with the clock.

_It's nothing to be nervous about. Why do I feel this way?_

He attempted to calm himself. His heart pounded against his chest. He knew that he had to escape fast. If he gave Junpei a chance to get started on a conversation, then he'd surely regret it.

Minato breathed a huge sigh of relief as the school bell finally rang. The class stood in unison to the class representative's voice. With a quick bow, he clutched his bag in his left hand and rushed for the classroom door.

* * *

He waited outside the classroom on the corner of the hall. Students came pouring out of the other classrooms, most of them discussing their plans for the next day. He wanted to keep on eye on Class 2-E. He had to be the first to get to her after school, or he'd lose his chance.

_Ah, there she is!_

Minato tried to walk down the hall as naturally as possible. It wasn't easy when he was feeling this nervous. He probably looked like the least cool guy in the school right at this moment. He didn't care though. He had a mission.

"Fuuka!" Minato cried out. He tried to sound as calm as he possibly could, but ended up just sounding out of breath and desperate.

He had recently taken up the duty of helping Fuuka test her home cooking. It wasn't the easiest commitment he'd made. If he was honest with himself, Fuuka was a downright awful cook. Yet he kept going back for more.

_Does this make me a masochist?_

He had something more important to worry about today, anyway.

Minato approached Fuuka, who had now stopped and was waiting for him. She always appeared to be alone when leaving class. He knew that she was a good friend to Yukari, but he'd never seen her leaving with anyone in her own class.

"Are you okay?" Fuuka sounded worried, and for good reason. Minato didn't look that well. He'd worked himself into a nervous frenzy in the classroom and still had no idea why he was so anxious.

"I'm fine, thanks. What's on the menu today?" Minato tried his best to sound excited.

"Oh, I think you're going to like this. Shall we go to the roof?" Fuuka sounded confident for once. She produced a playful smile. Minato had grown very accustomed to most of her expressions at this point. Her smile, in particular, always made him feel relaxed.

* * *

Fuuka and Minato sat side by side on a bench located on the school roof. From this spot, there was a great view of the city. It was a popular spot for many students attending Gekkoukan High. You could see the brilliant sparkle of the ocean and the pure blue sky from here. It was a perfect vista that was exclusive to their school.

Fuuka handed Minato a lunch box that she'd prepared. As always, it was packed neatly into a cute, pink box. Minato prised the lid open and stared at, what might be, his final meal. It certainly looked better than the previous iterations she'd made. That wasn't really saying much though.

Minato started to eat the food Fuuka had prepared. It was bad. The food turned to ash in his mouth, it even made his gums hurt.

_I'm not sure this is even food._

He turned to Fuuka and tried his best to smile. Doing this had only made his gums ache more, though. "Not bad."

Fuuka gave him that unconvinced look that he'd rarely seen. She pouted for a moment, and then stared at her lap.

"If it tastes bad, you don't have to eat it."

"I'll finish it. It's not bad", replied Minato.

"But it's not good either, right?"

"Well... It's not bad."

Minato tried to avoid any further responses on the topic by putting as much of the food in his mouth as he possibly could.

_I'm going to regret this._

Fuuka looked up at him. On the outside, he appeared to be enjoying the food. She smiled at Minato, who was still chewing the mouthful of food he'd put in minutes ago.

"Thanks. I know you don't want to hurt my feelings."

Fuuka seemed deep in thought at this point.

"I think that's what I like most about you... Even if I'm bad at something, you still recognise my efforts."

Minato finally managed to finish off the lunch box. His mouth felt dusty and dry. He didn't feel well at all.

"I enjoy home cooking", remarked Minato.

_If you can hear me, stomach. I'm so sorry!_

"I bet you say that all the time. You seem to be fairly popular around the girls. They must make you food too, right?" Fuuka responded.

"Hm? Not really."

"Huh?" Fuuka seemed surprised by Minato's response.

"Well, you're the only girl that makes me a lunch box. No other girls do that for me, so I'm grateful. Thanks."

"Oh… I… You're welcome." Fuuka turned away. She appeared to be blushing at that moment.

Minato placed the empty lunch box on the middle of the bench they were sitting on. He had finally decided that it was time for him to complete his mission. "It's Sunday tomorrow. Are you doing anything?"

"Oh, I have nothing planned at the moment. How about you?" Fuuka responded.

"Well, I was wondering if…"

Minato's sentence was cut off by the sound of the rooftop door crashing open. Stepping out on to the roof was none other than Fuuka's best friend, Yukari Takeba.

"Fuuka. There you are!" Yukari commented as she strode over towards the pair. "I've been looking everywhere for you. We were going to study in the library today. Did you forget?"

Fuuka stood up quickly. She seemed like she had just come to a realisation. "I'm so sorry, Yukari-chan. I totally forgot!"

Yukari was now standing behind the bench. She stopped and glared for a moment at the empty lunchbox.

"What were you guys doing up here? Eating lunch after school?"

"We were just talking really. I said I was hungry, and Fuuka had some spare food", Minato responded.

"Is that so? Well, anyway. You want to come to the library with us?" Yukari smiled as she asked the question.

Fuuka picked up the lunchbox and stuffed it into her bag quickly.

"I'm good, but thanks for the offer." Minato replied.

"Okay. See you later then." Yukari said her farewell.  
Even though she had been the first girl Minato had met when he moved to the dorms, he still found it somewhat difficult to read her.

"See you later, Minato-kun! Thanks for keeping me company today." Fuuka had seemed reluctant to leave, but she had never been one to let other people down.

"Thanks for the food."

Fuuka shot Minato one last smile before she disappeared into the school with Yukari.

* * *

Minato sat forward on the bench. He produced two tickets from his back pocket. They were for a special technology show. He'd planned to ask Fuuka to go with him. Even though she seemed to hide it, Minato knew that Fuuka enjoyed anything to do with technology.

"I guess the show's out then."

Minato breathed a sigh of disappointment before scooping up his bag and deciding to return to the dorm.

* * *

**END OF CHAPTER**

**

* * *

**

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

**

* * *

**So here I am again with another Persona 3 fiction. I wanted to do something a bit different from my last one, so I decided I'd try out a romance story this time.

The story is basically going to revolve around Minato and Fuuka. I'll be including some other characters, but we'll just say stuff like Personas, Nyx, and SEES don't exist in this time line.

Rushed Beats was a name that I came up with to describe a heart, a heart in love. Awww! I thought it was suitable name for such a story anyway.

I haven't quite decided how many chapters I'll be doing yet, but I will be taking my time with this. I have some good ideas anyway. You can view this chapter as kind of an introduction, as I haven't really got round to any drama yet. It will certainly be a different writing experience for me anyway.

Well, that's all. I hope you enjoyed it.


	2. Chapter 2

**RUSHED BEATS**

**

* * *

**

**CHAPTER TWO**

It was a surprisingly slow Sunday. Minato was stretched out across his bed, his feet propped up against the wall. He'd occasionally flip his phone out, half expecting Fuuka to call him.

"It might help if she actually had my number", Minato mumbled to himself. He breathed a heavy sigh as he closed his phone up. He sat upright in a sluggish manner. It was already midday. The show he'd wanted to go see with Fuuka had started an hour ago.

_Maybe I'll go see who's about._

Although he'd been living at the dorms for a while now, Minato didn't know many of the people staying there. He'd seen some of the seniors around, but that seemed to be a rare occurrence. Junpei and Yukari had been the only ones that had made him feel welcome.

* * *

Arriving at the dorm lounge, Minato was presented with a familiar sight. Junpei had his feet up on the table amongst a sea of empty instant ramen cups. He appeared to be quite involved with the manga he was reading. So involved, that he didn't even notice Minato.

"Hey, Junpei." Minato addressed him in his casual manner as he seated himself on the other side of the table.

"Hey! You're just in time!"

That signature grin had appeared on Junpei's face. Minato knew that he probably had some gossip. His face said it all.

"Yuka-tan left earlier. Said she was meeting a friend who was interested in moving to the dorms!"

"Really? And I'm guessing you know who it is?" Minato replied.

"I hear it's a girl from our year. I'm so excited, man! I wonder if she's cute?"

Junpei seemed to be going off into a daydream at this point. He wasn't the only one who was intrigued though. Minato found himself wondering who it was.

_Maybe it's Fuuka?_

Minato dismissed the thought moments after having it. Nothing that great would happen. The dorms were always boring.

As Junpei and Minato sat there in silence, both deep in thought, Yukari had returned to the dorm.

"I'm ba- Whoa!"

Yukari was greeted with the sight of Junpei and Minato both stuck in a daydream. They were staring off into nowhere, with smiles plastered over their faces.

"That's creepy", Yukari commented.

Minato and Junpei snapped out of it at this point. Junpei rose to his feet in excitement and strode over to Yukari.

"So what's the story, Yuka-tan?"

"Hm?" Yukari couldn't seem to fathom what Junpei was referring to at this point.

"The girl that wants to move here. Is she cute?"

"Ugh! You're so predictable, Stupei."

Minato stayed seated. He had half expected the girl to arrive with Yukari to look around the dorms.

"Oh, Minato-kun. I just went to meet with Fuuka. She said she's interested in moving here." Yukari seemed excited.

"They already know each other?" Junpei looked towards Minato with a shocked expression, as if he'd been betrayed.

"Fuuka wants to move here?" Minato ignored Junpei's stare. He felt shocked by this too. Or maybe he was excited, he wasn't quite sure.

"And he's already calling her by her given name! Ah, man! I lost this one." Junpei threw himself back onto the chair with a huff. He started to read his manga again as he sulked.

"She's coming to look around next Friday. She'll be moving in on the Monday after that if all goes well", Yukari added.

* * *

The following day at school, Minato was in quite a positive mood. He strolled along the entrance at his usual laid back pace, his headphones filling his ears with his favourite music. From the outside, it looked as though he didn't have a care in the world.

When Minato arrived at the shoe lockers, he noticed that his locker had been left ajar. Had someone been inside? He'd had notes left in his locker in the past, but they never seemed too serious. In fact, the girls that had left them had never tried to approach him.

_It's like they just want someone to confess to and they don't care who it is._

He opened his locker. His suspicion proved right. Sitting nicely inside his shoe locker was a folded note. He wasn't expecting much from it, but decided to read it anyway. The handwriting was extremely neat. It looked as though someone had put a lot of effort into writing this note.

"_Can you please come to the rooftop after school?_

_I'd be happy if you kept me company._

_Fuuka."_

Minato felt his heart flutter. He'd never taken that much notice of any of the notes in the past, but this one definitely felt more important. He wasn't quite sure why he felt this way though. He was excited. He quickly folded the letter into a square, making sure that no one had seen him reading it. He pushed the letter into his back pocket and continued on his way to class.

* * *

The day had gone terribly slow. Minato had spent the entire school day thinking about what it was that Fuuka wanted. As soon as the bell had sounded, he made his escape and headed towards the school roof.

Peeking around the door, Minato could see that Fuuka was already waiting for him. She was standing up, admiring the view. She appeared to be fidgeting, as if she was nervous about something.

"Hey." Minato decided not to make her wait any longer.

Fuuka jumped at the sound of his voice. Now he knew that she was nervous.

"O-Oh, M-Minato-kun. I see you got my note."

Minato nodded whilst meeting her stare. He'd always enjoyed looking into her eyes. It was like he was being purified. He always felt a deep sense of comfort when their eyes met.

Fuuka sat down on the bench and pressed her legs together to try and stop them shaking. Minato sat down beside her.

"Oh, here. Try this!"

Fuuka delved into her bag and produced a rice ball. Minato was surprised that it actually looked appetising. He certainly wouldn't turn down something that looked this nice!

He bit into it. It was good...

_Wait. What is this aftertaste?_

Minato's mouth started to burn. He had no idea what was in this rice ball, but it was causing the inside of his mouth to spasm. His eyes started to water.

"Actually… I didn't call you up here today to taste food." Fuuka was now fidgeting again. Her cheeks started to glow a warm red as she played with her thumbs in her lap.

"There was something I wanted to ask you…"

"What's up?" Minato replied.

"Tomorrow…"

At that moment, Minato had remembered that tomorrow was a holiday. Was Fuuka trying to ask him out?

"I…"

Fuuka was cut off as the rooftop door crashed open. It seemed fate had denied them their moment once again.

"I knew you'd be here, Fuuka." Yukari stepped onto the rooftop and approached Minato and Fuuka. "I was asked to tell you to go to the faculty office. I think it's to do with you moving to the dorm."

"Oh..."

Fuuka seemed disappointed with how the current events were unfolding. She glanced at Minato for a moment and then quickly looked away when their eyes made contact.

"Erm… Okay. Well, I'll see you on Wednesday then, Minato-kun!"

Before Minato could form a response, Fuuka grabbed her bag and disappeared into the school building. It looked as though Yukari's entrance had destroyed any nerve that she had been keeping. Minato stared at the rice ball in his hand. It was time for him to take some action.

Minato pounded the rest of the rice ball into his mouth.

_Ugh!_

As he chewed away, Minato pulled a pen from his bag. He removed Fuuka's note from his back pocket and proceeded to scribble his phone number onto the back of the paper. Yukari, who was still watching out of curiosity, decided to go and see what the fuss was all about.

"What are you doing?"

"Here!" Minato handed Yukari the piece of paper. "Can you give that to Fuuka, please?"

"What is it?"

"Something she'll need." Minato stood at this moment and grabbed his bag. Yukari wouldn't look at the note. He knew her well enough to be able to trust her with this, at least.

"Well, wish me luck!" Minato turned and gave a small wave before breaking into a run.

"Huh?" Yukari had absolutely no idea what was going on. It was definitely the first time she'd ever seen Minato run though.

* * *

Minato approached the PA room outside Class 2-F. No one appeared to be in the vicinity. He slid the door open a crack and saw the room itself was vacant.

"Here goes." Minato reassured himself as he entered the room. He moved as quickly as he could. Picking up the microphone, he spoke as clearly as he was able to.

"Fuuka Yamagishi, Class 2-E. Would you like to see a movie with me tomorrow? Yukari has something you'll need to respond! Thanks!  
"This is Minato, by the way."

Finishing his foolhardy speech, he could already hear the sounds of students and teachers coming to check what was going on. He grabbed his bag once more and then made a quick exit. He'd deal with the consequences later.

He managed to escape the school unscathed. His heart was still beating fast. He chuckled to himself as he struggled to regain his breath. He was excited to see if his speech got the result he wanted.

* * *

**END OF CHAPTER**

**

* * *

**

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

**

* * *

**That's chapter two complete then. Did you enjoy it?

I wanted this chapter to focus more on the feelings of Fuuka. I really liked the idea of Fuuka making the first move.

Leaving a note in a shoe locker was pretty out of character for her, which is why Minato was so excited. I just had this image of Fuuka getting all flustered outside the shoe lockers before telling her self that she had to try her best, and placing the note with care. Even though Fuuka tried her best though, she didn't get to say what she wanted to. Maybe Minato made a good recovery in the end? Guess we'll have to see how Fuuka reacts to this.

I already have ideas about the direction that chapter three will take. I'm looking forward to writing it.

I'll leave it there for now anyway. Thanks for reading.


	3. Chapter 3

**RUSHED BEATS**

**

* * *

**

**CHAPTER THREE**

Fuuka stood in silence as she watched Mr. Ekoda scowling at the documents he held in his hands. Her cheeks were still flushed from her meeting with Minato. She had spent the entire day building up the confidence to ask him out, only to have her plan ruined at the very last moment.

"Well, everything appears to be in order..." Mr. Ekoda had that usual irritated tone to his voice. "Kids these days. Moving away from home, thinking they're all independent! Back when I was a boy-"

Mr. Ekoda's rant was brought to a sudden halt by the chime of the school's PA system. Fuuka could never have predicted what was about to happen next.

"Fuuka Yamagishi, Class 2-E. Would you like to see a movie with me tomorrow? Yukari has something you'll need to respond! Thanks!  
"This is Minato, by the way."

There was some feedback from the PA system after Minato had finished speaking. The faculty office fell silent moments later. Fuuka's heart fluttered as she repeated Minato's words in her mind.

"When I get my hands on Arisato!" Mr. Ekoda slammed his palms against the desk as he stood. He had completely ignored Fuuka's state of shock as he charged out of the faculty office.

Fuuka was frozen to the spot, trying to process what just happened. Was she shocked that Minato had pulled such a stunt? Was she shocked that Minato had actually asked her, the girl that everyone usually ignored, to the movies?

"Fuuka-chan."

Fuuka snapped back to reality as she heard her name called. Ms. Toriumi sat across the table with a smirk on her face.  
"You can go home now. We'll call you back if there's anything more to sort out."

"T-Thank you..."

Fuuka spun on her heel and walked towards the door in a robotic fashion. She felt dizzy. This was too much for her to take in at one time.

* * *

Yukari had waited for Fuuka outside of the faculty office. The students that were littered in the corridor seemed to be talking about Minato's stunt. Fuuka felt their eyes on her as she stepped into the corridor. This was probably going to attract both of them some attention for a while.

"Hey!" Yukari walked towards Fuuka. "Can you believe what he just did? Ekoda looked like he was about to burst a brain vessel!"

Fuuka found it hard to speak. She wasn't used to getting this much attention.

"Oh, about his message. Here. He asked me to pass this on to you"; Yukari said as handed Fuuka a piece of folded paper.

She unfolded the paper slowly, tracing each fold with her fingers. It was the note that she had left Minato that same morning.

"I think he wrote something on the back", Yukari added.

Fuuka flipped the piece of paper over. Minato had left a message on the back, along with his phone number.

"_I hope you're not mad at me._"

Fuuka smiled as she read his note. His stunt had been unpredictable, but it had certainly made her happy.

* * *

Minato had woke up early the next day. He hadn't slept well. He was eager to see if his stunt was a success. He'd already got ready in case he had to go out. He certainly wasn't going to be late if she did phone.

He was stretched out on his bed, staring at his phone for the next hour. It was only 9am now. The day was going quite slow.

_Maybe I put too much pressure on her? I'll apologise tomorr-._

He was cut off mid-thought as his phone vibrated in his hand. He sat up quickly, his eyes glued to the screen. It was an unknown number. Was it Fuuka? Or was it a prank? Minato took a deep breath and received the call. "Hello?"

"Hello. Is that Minato-kun?"

It was definitely Fuuka. Minato could identify those soft vocals at any time.

"Yeah, it's Minato."

"This is Fuuka. I heard your message at school yesterday."

Minato grinned to himself as he heard a light chuckle from Fuuka on the other end of the line.

"Do you think it was silly of me to go that far?" Minato replied.

"I certainly couldn't have predicted it. I think Mr. Ekoda will be looking for you tomorrow though."

"You're probably right. I think it was worth it though."

Fuuka fell silent. Minato could hear her irregular breathing down the phone. She was definitely nervous.

"Are you still there?" Minato asked.

"It made me happy, really happy. I'd love to go see a movie with you today!" Fuuka sounded excited.

"Shall we meet at the station later then?"

"Erm... Minato-kun. I'm already waiting at the station."

She had taken the initiative once again. He was already late and he hadn't even realised it. Minato jumped off of his bed with his phone in hand. "I'm on my way."

"I'll see you soon then."

With that reply, Minato closed his phone up and made a mad dash for the station. This was the moment he'd been waiting for.

* * *

Minato arrived at the station a little while later. He was out of breath. He'd certainly made good time. But how long had Fuuka been waiting for him? Had she phoned as soon as she got there? He pushed these thoughts aside and scanned the area for Fuuka.

He spotted her a few moments later, standing just out of the way of the crowds. She was wearing a beautiful blue dress that cut off just above her knees. She had a warm glow to her. She really stood out, and not in a bad way...

Minato jogged over to greet her. It was the first time he had seen her out of uniform. She looked beautiful. Fuuka blushed a little as he casually pointed this out to her.

"Did I keep you waiting long?"

"No. You were faster than I expected", replied Fuuka.

"Shall we go then?" Minato said as he regained his breath.

* * *

Minato had walked to the cinema with Fuuka by his side. They had decided to watch a science fiction movie. Minato wasn't too fussed about what they were watching, but he knew that Fuuka loved science fiction. It was the least he could do to make up for the stunt he pulled.

They had taken their time to pick good seats. There were quite a few people coming to see the movie, but they had kept a row to themselves.

The movie was surprisingly long. Minato started to fidget halfway through. With a small sigh, he let his hand drop onto the armrest…

_Huh? When did she...?_

Minato's hand fell onto Fuuka's. He almost pulled away, but was surprised to see that Fuuka had kept her hand there.

Over the drone of the movie, Minato could faintly hear Fuuka breathing faster. He could feel her pulse speed up as he rested his hand on hers. He felt comfy. Her hand was so soft. He didn't want to be anywhere else right now.

Minato slouched in his seat, moving his hand a little. It was at this moment that Fuuka flipped her hand over and locked fingers with Minato. Her grip was tight. She obviously didn't want him moving his hand anytime soon.

_I guess we can both be unpredictable._

He glanced at Fuuka for a moment, who was trying her best to focus on the movie. Her cheeks were burning red. Minato smiled at her, and then continued to watch the movie.

* * *

After the movie, the pair walked out without saying a word to each other. They tried to make some small talk about the plot of the film, or what they remembered of it, to little success.

"I had fun today, Minato-kun."

Minato turned towards Fuuka and looked her in the eye. He'd definitely had fun too.

"Me too.  
"I don't mind if you just call me Minato now. We're close friends, right? And I call you just by your given name."

"Huh? Oh, I see. Thank you. ...Minato."

Minato saw Fuuka all the way back to her home before deciding to return to the dorm.

* * *

Fuuka had moved into the dorms not long after. As the weeks went past, Minato and Fuuka were spending a lot more time together. They had faced the attention at school, Minato had faced his punishment from Mr. Ekoda, and everything appeared to be going well for them.

One Saturday night, Minato had planned to invite Fuuka out the next day. He decided to brave the third floor of the dorms and ask her directly.

He knocked on her door and waited for a moment. There was no reply from Fuuka.

"Fuuka?"

Minato knocked again and waited patiently. There was still no response from Fuuka.

* * *

Fuuka didn't return to the dorm that night.

* * *

**END OF CHAPTER**

**

* * *

**

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

* * *

Chapter three is done!

This was definitely the most difficult to write so far. My original idea ended up being too much of a leap in their relationship. I had to structure this chapter so that it would bridge the gap to that idea, which is now chapter four.

The main goal for this chapter was to focus on Minato and Fuuka expressing their feelings a little. It was their first date together after all! I even had Minato tell Fuuka it was okay to drop the honorific. He's such a charmer.

I hope you enjoyed it anyway. I've already started writing chapter four. It's going to be a bit more dramatic!

That's all for now. Thanks for reading.


	4. Chapter 4

**RUSHED BEATS**

**

* * *

**

**CHAPTER FOUR**

The sun had already set the following evening. Fuuka had not been back to the dorms in over a day now.

_Did she go back to her parent's house?_

Minato paced up and down the dorm lounge, staring at his phone. Something was bugging him about Fuuka's disappearance. If she'd gone back to her parent's house, then she would have called. And why wasn't she answering her phone now? The whole situation made him sick to his stomach with worry.

"You know, if she doesn't come back soon, we're going to have to report this to the police." Junpei broke the silence. He was sitting alongside Yukari in the lounge. They had been worried about Fuuka as well.

Reporting this to the police was the last thing that Minato wanted to do. It's not that he wanted to be a knight in shining armour either. He believed that Fuuka was all right, and that she was waiting for him.

He finally decided that it was time to take action. Breaking his pacing pattern, he hastily made his way to exit the dorms.

"Where are you going?" Yukari said as she rose to her feet.

"I can't take this anymore. I'm going to look for her", Minato responded.

"Shall we split up and search then?" Junpei said as he straightened his cap.

Yukari had decided that she would check for Fuuka at the Yamagishi household. She had been there many times before, and she knew Fuuka's parents well.

Junpei had volunteered to search at Paulownia Mall and the surrounding area. He had that confident look in his eyes, like he knew exactly where Fuuka was.

Minato was happy that he had friends he could count on. They would find her, no matter what.

"I'm going to search at the school then", Minato said as he left the dorm. He pushed his hands into his pockets, trying to look as calm as possible. He had a gut feeling that he'd find Fuuka at the school. He crossed his fingers in his pockets and hoped that he was right.

If they returned without her tonight, then the police would surely have to get involved.

* * *

Fuuka sat in the corner of the gym, cradling her legs. It had been a long time since that girl from class had locked her in. She was hungry, tired, and scared. Minato's smiling face kept appearing in her mind. She believed with all her heart that he'd find her.

She had dropped her phone outside the gym when she was pushed in. It was a cruel set of circumstances. She wanted to scream as loud as she could, to see if she could get attention from anyone outside. "No, they'll come for me. I have to be strong."

Her phone had been ringing many times outside the gym. "They must be so worried", Fuuka said to her self as she rested her face on her knees.

* * *

Minato had arrived outside the main gate of Gekkoukan High. It was dead silent on the grounds. He peered through the bars, not sure what he was expecting to see.

He pulled his phone out and stared blankly at the screen. He'd try phoning her again. He wouldn't stop until she answered.

That's when he heard it. It was faint, but it was there. The sound of Fuuka's phone ringing had pierced through the silence surrounding the school.  
He followed the sound, hoping to pinpoint where it was coming from. It led him to the side entrance of the school.

_Huh?_

To his surprise, the door was already unlocked. Not only that, but it was ajar. Someone was definitely inside the school. His heart fluttered at the thought. Maybe he'd found her.

_It must be Fuuka!_

_

* * *

_

The halls were pitch black. Minato stayed as silent as he possibly could, in case the security guard had been around. He used the light from his phone to illuminate his path. He knew the school's layout well enough, but the darkness made it feel as though the walls were much closer. He attempted to ring Fuuka again; the sound was deafening this time. He was so close now.

Minato arrived outside the gym. He spotted an object on the floor.

_Fuuka's phone..._

He stepped forward lightly and picked up the phone. Was she in the gym?

He was about to grasp the handle of the gym door, when he caught a glimpse of something in the corner of his eye. It was definitely another person. He thought it was probably the security guard. He decided to go check it out anyway; just to make sure it wasn't Fuuka.

His search for the person had led him to the faculty office. He could hear someone rummaging around inside.

_A teacher?_

He took a deep breath and pulled the door open, hoping that he'd finally found Fuuka. He shone the light from his phone in the direction of the noise. It was a girl. She jumped as Minato made his entrance. He had seen her around before. She was from Fuuka's class.

"Who are you?" Minato asked.

The girl was breathing quite heavy. Minato's entrance had obviously spooked her.

"I'm...Natsuki... Natsuki Moriyama."

She paused for a moment, trying to catch her breath, before getting a good look at Minato.

"Wait. I know you. Minato Arisato, right? You're the guy who's always with Fuuka..."

"Fuuka. Do you know where she is?"

The girl looked down at her feet. She was definitely hiding something.

"Please", Minato said in a soft tone.

"...The...the gym...  
"I came to get the key."

Minato saw that she did, in fact, have the gym key in her hand. Without thinking, his mind welling up with emotions he hadn't experienced before, Minato grabbed the key from the girl and sprinted back towards the gym. He didn't even care about lighting his way this time; he didn't even care if a security guard was around. He knew where she was, and that was enough.

* * *

Fuuka could hear it clearly. Someone was running down the hall. They were getting closer as well. She wondered if she should call out to whoever it was. The steps echoed through the halls, as they got closer. They came to a halt outside the gym. She rose to her feet. This was the first sign of hope that she'd had.

She could hear someone unlocking the door from the outside. She started to walk that way. It was finally over.

Minato stepped through moments later. "Fuuka?"

"I'm here!" Fuuka called out. Her throat felt dry.

Minato turned towards the sound of Fuuka's voice and ran towards her. He embraced her without a second thought.

"M-Minato...?"

"I was so worried", Minato said as he held Fuuka tightly. He'd never reacted this way before. It was probably a surprise to Fuuka as well. She wrapped her arms around him as he continued to hold her.

Minato stepped back and handed Fuuka her phone. "I believe this is yours."

"Thank you." Fuuka took the phone off of Minato. A single tear rolled down her cheek as she looked at the screen.

_2 missed calls from: Junpei-kun  
5 missed calls from: Yukari-chan  
13 missed calls from: Minato_

"I'm sorry I worried you all."

"You have nothing to apologise for." Another voice came from behind Minato. Natsuki approached Fuuka and crumpled to her knees. "I'm the one who's sorry! I... I..." Natsuki started to cry at this moment. "I'm so sorry, Fuuka. I went too far!"

Minato stepped back. With just that, he had pieced it together. The girl, Natsuki, had been responsible for locking Fuuka in the gym.  
Whilst she begged for forgiveness in front of a flustered Fuuka, Minato sent a text to Junpei and Yukari.

_Found her. See you back at the dorms._

"It's okay, Natsuki-chan." Fuuka had a soft tone to her voice as she spoke to the girl.

"Shall we head home then?" Minato suggested. He stood by Fuuka's side. She grasped his hand tight and rested her head against his arm.

"Why aren't you mad with me?" Natsuki seemed confused by all of this.

"Fuuka's safe. That's all that matters."

Minato escorted Fuuka out of the gym. Natsuki followed shortly after. It had certainly been an eventful night.

* * *

The story of what happened that night was kept a secret from the rest of the school. Fuuka didn't like the idea of having that kind of attention. Natsuki was now going out of her way to be kind to Fuuka, and the days had returned to normal.

The weeks went past and winter had now arrived. It would soon be Christmas Eve. It would soon be a special day, for Minato and Fuuka.

* * *

**END OF CHAPTER**

**

* * *

**

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

* * *

Well, that's chapter four over. This one felt shorter when I read it through again, but it's actually around the same length as the others.

When I first decided to do a romance story, I wanted to have a specific point, or 'theme', to each chapter. I also wanted to keep it as light hearted as possible, never staying on one scene for too long.

Chapter one had to look at Minato's feelings, and his willingness to explore them. Even though this guy is always so calm on the outside, doesn't mean he can't feel nervous on the inside, right?

Chapter two was all about Fuuka's approach. The shy girl can be unpredictable when it comes to love. Even though things didn't go how she planned, it still worked out when Minato pulled his stunt.

Chapter three was about Fuuka and Minato acknowledging each other's feelings. Minato accidentally holding Fuuka's hand made him realise that he likes Fuuka. He's surprised when Fuuka decides to hold his hand as well. It's a silent confession, in a way. Even though they can't confess to each other through words, they can still acknowledge that they're both happy together.

Chapter four was the crisis, the test of their bond. Even if something bad happens, they believe in each other. Fuuka believed Minato would come to find her, and Minato believed he could find her without involving the police. They trust each other enough to pull through a crisis.

The next part, chapter five, will be the conclusion to the story. I decided how it was going to end before I even started on chapter one. I hope it turns out how I planned it!

Well, that's all for now. I've rambled on enough.

Thanks for reading!


	5. Chapter 5

**RUSHED BEATS**

**

* * *

**

**CHAPTER FIVE**

It was time for some Christmas shopping. Christmas Eve was now only days away and Fuuka still hadn't found a present for Minato.

It was starting to get dark. Fuuka had been going around the shops with Yukari for hours. Even Yukari, who was used to shopping, looked tired lugging her bags around.

"I'm sorry, Yukari-chan. I can't quite decide what Minato would like."

"Ooooohhhh!" Yukari had that sly grin on her face.

"W-What?" Fuuka seemed flustered.

"Since when did you drop the honorific? You two must be quite close now!"

"E-erm… That's…" Fuuka wasn't quite sure how to respond to this. She definitely felt quite close to Minato now. So close, in fact, that calling him by his given name just felt natural. It still embarrassed her though.

"Relax. I'm just teasing you", said Yukari as she grinned at Fuuka.

Yukari had decided it was time for a break. She crashed on a nearby bench and let out a sigh as she put her bags down. "So, do you have any idea what he'd like?"

"Well… It's not like I don't know what he likes. I just want something he'll be happy with."

"How about something only you could give him then? Something he'd use a lot."

It was at that moment Fuuka had the idea that she was desperately searching for. She had finally decided what she was going to give to Minato. She just hoped that she could get it ready in time for Christmas Eve.

* * *

Christmas Eve had finally arrived. Class had just ended and Minato was getting ready to meet up with Fuuka. He clutched his bag tightly. He didn't want to lose the present that he'd worked so hard on.

"Hey, dude! Everyone else is busy today! How does a Hagakure special sound? My treat!"

Minato turned around to see that trademark Junpei grin.

"Sorry. I've already got plans."

Junpei let out a great sigh of disappointment. "I feel betrayed! Don't tell me… You're seeing a girl?"

"Well... Yeah, I am. Aren't you?"

"Not all of us are that lucky!"

Minato was now itching to be on his way. He knew that Fuuka liked to turn up at their meeting spots early. He didn't want to keep her waiting.

"Why don't you try you luck then. Ask a girl to get some ramen with you."

Junpei slouched into a nearby chair. "Yeah? Like who?"

"Erm…" Minato scanned around the classroom, desperate to find someone suitable for Junpei to try his luck with. He then spotted the transfer student, Chidori Yoshino, from the window.

"How about Yoshino?" Minato said as he pointed out the window.

"What? You think I'm into that gothic lolita stuff? I don't even know her anyway!"

Minato grinned. He knew exactly how to get Junpei going in this situation. "Really? She looks like she could use a knight to protect her. Plus, it's a good day to try your luck."

Junpei had now gone quiet. He was staring out the window, clearly thinking things through way too much.

"It's just ramen anyway", Minato added.

"You're right! I've saved up enough luck! Let's make this a special Christmas! Here I go!"

With great excitement, Junpei leapt to his feet and made his exit from the classroom. Minato watched as he awkwardly approached Chidori, even taking his cap off as he addressed her.

What surprised Minato most was that it looked as though she'd actually agreed. With a thumbs up in the direction of the window, Junpei walked off with Chidori.

_I guess miracles really can happen._

Minato took a deep breath. He was starting to get nervous. Junpei's last minute show of confidence had made up his mind. Today was going to be the day that he confessed to Fuuka.

* * *

The meeting place they had agreed to was the school rooftop. It wasn't exactly the most glamorous Christmas Eve date, but it was their special spot. This is where they had met for the first time. It was also quite a cold day, so no one else would be there.

As usual, Fuuka was already waiting. She was sitting on the bench. She looked pretty cold as well. Minato decided to not make her wait any longer.

"Hey", Minato said as he casually strolled over.

"Hey. Sure is cold, huh?" Fuuka's legs were knocking together. She had her hands clasped in her lap.

"Here. Let me help."

Minato sat down next to Fuuka and scooted up right next to her. Fuuka jumped a little when their legs touched, but she suddenly felt a great deal warmer than she had. She could feel Minato's body heat when he was this close.

"T-Thank you..."

The atmosphere was slightly awkward. This was the most contact they'd made since they 'accidentally' held hands at the cinema. Fuuka pivoted to her right and pulled a neatly wrapped present from her bag.

"Here."

Fuuka handed Minato her present. She'd obviously put a lot of effort into wrapping it neatly. Minato felt guilty about ripping the paper off. With a little coercion from Fuuka, he finally opened it up. Inside was an expensive looking pair of headphones.

"I fixed those up myself. Before we met, I was always trying to hide that fact that I liked technology, but that was wrong of me. You made me face myself and accepted me for who I truly was. You're always listening to music, so this way, it'll be like I'm always with you."

Minato swapped the new headphones with his old ones. The sound was amazing!

"I love them! Thank you!"

"Oh. You're w-welcome."

Minato took a deep breath and finally decided to give his present to Fuuka. "Here. This is for you."

Minato handed Fuuka her present. He'd wrapped it up quite shabbily, which Fuuka seemed to find amusing. Inside Fuuka found a scarf that matched the colour of her hair.

"I made that. I have a friend who gave me some guidance. I wasn't really sure what you'd like, if I'm being honest. I thought a scarf would look cute on you."

A single tear rolled down Fuuka's cheek as she stared at the scarf. He had obviously been working on it for quite a while.

"T-Thank you. It's wonderful!"

Minato grinned as Fuuka tried to hold her tears of joy back. She clutched the scarf to her chest.

"That's not all though." Minato took a deep breath. "Fuu...Fuu...ka... I... I think I like you."

Fuuka stared blankly at Minato.

_All right! Let's do this!_

"Fuuka Yamagishi! I like you!"

For the first time ever, Fuuka swore that she could see Minato blushing a little, before he pulled away. She hadn't expected him to stumble the first time, but he certainly made up for it.

"Erm... I... I think I like you too." Fuuka was now staring at her lap.

"Neither of us sounded too sure." Minato and Fuuka laughed together after their awkward confession to each other.

"You're right! It is pretty cold!" Minato chimed in.

"Here." Fuuka started wrapping her new scarf around Minato's neck, before bringing it back round her own neck. "We can share!"

Fuuka looked Minato in the eyes. The rushed beats of two hearts in love now resonated as one. Fuuka closed her eyes as Minato leaned in and kissed her lightly. Any cold that they had been feeling was now lost in this great warmth.

Minato pulled back and smiled.

"Do you think we could stay together like this? Just for a little while", Fuuka said as she rested her head on Minato's shoulder.

"Don't worry. I'm not going anywhere. We have all the time in the world."

* * *

**THE END**

**

* * *

**

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

**

* * *

**

Well, that's all for this story!

This chapter was definitely my favourite! I'm happy with how it turned out.

Anyway! I hope you enjoyed my attempt at a lighthearted romance story. I'll have to try something different the next time I have a go at a fan fiction.

Thanks for reading!


End file.
